In opening the business, Broome is tapping not only into a growing market but also a cultural movement. Preppers believe a local or global-scale emergency is imminent and take active steps to prepare for the eventuality of disaster. Water-filtration straws line the shelves alongside military combat boots, an assortment of vacuum-packed gardening seeds and instruction manuals on booby traps and explosives, right below a military edition of the Bible.
He markets to sports enthusiasts, campers and people taking preemptive steps in case a devastating local or global-scale emergency strikes. By specializing in survival inventory and not just military supplies, Broome, a retired U.S.
Broome started prepping for the worst just before Y2K, when fears were rampant that a computer virus would shut down global computer networks on Jan.
Nothing did, and Broome’s prepping activities stalled until the past four years when he said concerns about natural disasters and economic collapse convinced him to gather more necessities and secure a safe house in the mountains. It’s a practice that has made for interesting television, but some members of the prepper community say their lifestyle is not as extreme as mass media would make it appear.
An August survey by the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows that 50 percent of American families have not discussed or developed an emergency plan in the event of a disaster. Martin said social media and global news networks have increased awareness of the propensity for a catastrophe. Preppers Paradise in a nearby suburb has been open for more than a year, and military-supply shops like Affordable Knife Shop and SRI Gear appear in online searches for prepper stores in the city. Interest in prepping is growing, attracting people willing to spend money to store food or learn survival tips, said John Hulme, who organizes the annual Self Reliance Expo, a traveling convention of disaster preparedness speakers, presentations and companies. The expo, which began in 2010, attracts 80 to 100 vendors and 4,000 to 5,000 people each year, Hulme said.
That demand drives Broome to spend at least $1,000 at military bases and warehouses to stock the store at least every two months. Broome believes Charlotte has a very large prepping community, mainly comprised of people concerned about an economic nosedive.
So, with that in mind, here are a few of the things you can learn from camping that can make you a better prepper. Camping teaches us how power dependent we all are for everything from telling time to food preservation to communicating to lighting. When making a list of preparedness supplies it helps to divide the list into needs, wants, and nice to haves, and then prioritize accordingly.
Ita€™s one thing to camp in a managed campground with adequate and well maintained sanitation facilities. Most emergency situations are likely to be more active then sedentary, plan your need for consumable supplies accordingly.
Does your emergency supply include long shelf life garden seeds, fishing supplies, extra ammo, edible flora reference?
Making a camp dinner from scratch can be fun, delicious, and rewarding, but sometimes on a very active camping or backpacking trip, what you really want is good tasting meal that is fast and easy to prepare.
In an emergency situation the last thing you want to for a meal is to start with a grain grinder. Without sounding like an advertisement for freeze-dried food, I have to say that in terms of convenience, there is a place for freeze-dried meal pouches in every food storage pantry.A Meal pouches are light weight, and, if you shop carefully (sample sample sample!), are tasty and nutritious.
It might make all the difference when and if a disruptive event occurs in your neck of the woods.

If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to email updates.A When you do, you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-Book, The Emergency Food Buyera€™s Guide.
There is a place for both (freeze dried and bulk foods) in my food storage pantry but honestly, it is my FD foods that allows me to sleep better at night.A This is due its compact size and portability.
Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife: This a€?oh so sweeta€? knife is solidly built, stainless steel knife that comes razor sharp right out of the package. Morakniv Craftline Q Allround Fixed Blade Utility Knife: Also known as the Mora 511, this is now my favorite knife. Just to see it stacks up with my other favorites, here is a photo showing the differences in size and form factor between the BYBLight, Coast HP1, and the UltraFire Mini-Cree.
Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets (Pack of 10): You will be surprised at how warm these will keep you. Swedish Firesteel: Using this basic pocket fire-starter, you can get a nice fire going under almost any conditions.
TETON Sports Mammoth Queen Size Flannel Lined Sleeping Bag (94a€?x 62a€?, Grey, +20 Degree F) :A This is the sleeping bag I purchased. I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here.
The post Nine Things You Can Learn from Camping That Will Make You a Better Prepper by Gaye Levy first appeared on Backdoor Survival. If you are like most preppers you don’t have exorbitant amounts of money to put toward your gear. Flea markets have lots of overpriced made in China junk, but if you are willing to dig through bins of rusty tools or poke through boxes that others are walking past you might find a gem. Garage sales are even better than flea markets for the sheer variety and surprise factor of what you might find. You can run across all sorts of camo clothing and sometime pick up tools and kitchen items that go well with your preps. Otherwise ebay has almost anything anyone could want, just don’t pay more than retail, and don’t forget to count shipping. SubscribeEnter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content.
You’ll find stun guns and pepper spray but no guns, said Broome, who wants to keep his shop family-friendly. But Broome insists he’s different, moving beyond just providing military garb and weaponry. A challenging camping experience can help you re-evaluate your emergency supplies and maybe even get some backups for your backups. Re-evaluate your needs for fuel and electricity in an emergency, most people will find they are vastly underprepared in this area.
Camping is a great lesson in how much water we all use on a daily basis.A From drinking, washing hands, cooking, cleaning dishes, brushing teeth, etc. This means having plenty of portable water storage containers, chemical purification, mechanical filtration, hoses, manual pumps and more. It also helps you realize the things that arena€™t essential but would be really nice to have. Now you might think this is an argument for packing light, but ita€™s actually the opposite. In more than a few ways, a camping trip can be a great dry run for an emergency situation where you would have to rely only on your preparations.

Beat the Summer Heat discount by using code STAYCOOL15 at checkout.A I am no sure how long this will last but this is a great time to sample some of the best tasting emergency food current available.
This is a real bargain but be aware that price can vary substantially depending on the color. It contains no chemicals or iodinated resin, no batteries and no moving parts to break or wear out.A It weighs only 2oz. Be sure to test one out in advance so that you have the confidence to trust the blanket in an emergency.
And yes, it is a double with room for Shelly, myself, Tucker the Dog and a weapon.A Emergency Essentials also has some great sleeping bags that are well priced. If you take some time and look in the right places you can get a lot of your gear at bargain prices. Lots of old oil lamps, cast iron, non-electric tools and other things a preppers might spend retail on from a store. Lots of food behind grocery stores can be put up in the freezer, fed to animals or dehydrated for storage.
Even banned items routinely make it on, and if you pay attention you can pick them up before they get flagged and removed. If you are a prepper you should be involved with an online forum for learning and interaction with others of like mind.
We believe that being prepared is important for any family and we want to see preparedness become a mainstream conversation. One thing becomes clear when contrasting both situations; you need more food and lots more water on the very active trips vs. Unless you have planned exceptionally well, youa€™re likely to find that on a backpacking trip you wish you had more food, more water, and a warmer sleeping bag. If youa€™ve eaten fresh fish you caught that day you know you have the ability to really extend your food supplies.
My suggestion is the next time you go on a camping trip, take a pencil and note pad with you and write down some of your observations on what you need to do differently when it comes to your emergency supplies. Again, a bit more expensive than some of the a€?almost freea€? fire starters I have but for wilderness survival, this is my choice.
Not having these tiny replacement items handy can suddenly make many aspects of camping much more difficult. For short term emergencies, stored water can get you by.A However, camping vividly illustrates how you simply cannot store enough water for a long term emergency.
Think about would happen if you had to live in your house for a few months without running water.
A backpacking trip can very clearly illustrate just how much you need.A Again, better to have too much than not enough.
In an extended emergency having the skills and supplies to gather, hunt, fish, or garden may make all the difference. Often a quick trip to town can solve this oversight, but imagine simply not being able to get those replacements.